The tradition of hanging the NIOSA rain rock first began in the 1970s. Credit: Michael Karlis

As cool, wet weather continues to threaten Fiesta events, organizers of San Antonio’s annual citywide party hung the famous NIOSA Rain Rock on Monday to keep the rains at bay.

Officials hung the stone — a tradition started in the 1970s by then-NIOSA Chairwoman Joanna Parrish — promptly at 10 a.m. The ritual began when a NIOSA volunteer informed Parrish of a Texas folk practice of hanging a rock with a hole in it to prevent bad weather.

The latest hanging of the Rain Rock couldn’t appear to have come at a better time.

Heavy rain and hail pummeled San Antonio on Thursday, forcing the cancellation of Fiesta Fiesta and Taste of the Republic on Fiesta’s opening night.

This week’s forecast doesn’t look much better, according to the National Weather Service. As of press time, there’s a 40% chance of thunderstorms Tuesday and a 60% chance of severe weather Wednesday night — the first two nights of NIOSA.

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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...